CHENNAI: A British Airways flight scheduled to operate between London and Chennai was cancelled after a sudden technical snag, leaving hundreds of passengers stranded in both cities.
The airline announced that the London–Chennai–London service will now operate with a 24-hour delay, and the flight is expected to depart early on Saturday after arriving in Chennai.
As a result, 218 passengers scheduled to travel from Chennai to London and around 250 passengers who were to arrive in Chennai from London have been affected and are facing long delays.
According to airport sources, the aircraft that was scheduled to depart from London to Chennai on Thursday developed a technical fault before take-off at the London airport. The airline subsequently cancelled the flight for safety reasons.
Because the incoming flight from London did not depart, the return service from Chennai to London on Friday morning was also cancelled, affecting passengers scheduled to travel from the city.
Airport officials said 218 passengers were booked on the Chennai–London sector of the British Airways flight scheduled to depart from Chennai at 7.35 am on Friday. They were informed in advance about the cancellation.
At the same time, around 250 passengers who were supposed to travel from London to Chennai have also been affected and are currently waiting for the rescheduled flight.
The British Airways service typically arrives in Chennai from London at 5.30 am every day and departs back to London at 7.35 am.
However, due to the technical snag that occurred before departure in London, Thursday’s flight was cancelled, leading to a chain disruption affecting Friday’s operations as well.
The airline has now informed passengers that the flight will arrive in Chennai early Saturday morning and depart for London thereafter, resulting in an overall delay of nearly 24 hours.